Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) : To ask the Scottish
Executive what strategies are in place to reduce the dependency of
manufacturing industry and employment
on (a) military services and (b) the arms industry.
.

Nicol Stephen : There are no specific strategies in place to reduce
the dependency of manufacturing industry and employment on military
services and the arms industry.
The Executive’s enterprise strategy, A Smart, Successful Scotland,
highlights areas for economic growth in the medium to long-term.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) : To ask the Scottish
Executive what geographic concentrations of dependency on (a) military
services and (b) the arms industry
there are in respect of manufacturing industry and employment.

Nicol Stephen. : The are no figures currently available to show
geographic concentrations of dependency on military services or the arms
industry in respect of
manufacturing industry and employment.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab) : To ask the Scottish
Executive what proportion of manufacturing industry and employment is
dependent on (a) military services
and (b) the arms industry.

Nicol Stephen : There are no published figures available using
standard industrial classification to show the proportion of manufacturing
industry and employment dependant
on “military services” or “the arms industry” in Scotland. However,
estimates relating to MOD expenditure in the UK broken down by standard
industrial classification, and
dependent employment are available at the national level in tables 1.8a
and 1.9 of UK Defence Statistics 2005 which can be found by accessing the
attached web link
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/ukds/2005/ukds.html. The latest
published figures relate to 2003-04.

Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2004 22 December 2005

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab)
: To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reviewing
the consistency of wording between the Civil
Partnership (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002 in
respect of the age of witnesses at both ceremonies.

George Lyon : While there is a difference in the wording of the
relevant provisions relating to the age of witnesses, the effect is the
same. Registrars will always ensure that witnesses to civil partnerships
and marriages are 16 or over.

Public Services ( Access ) 22 December 2005

Marlyn Glen
(North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the
Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to ensure access to
public services for people whose first language is not English.

The Deputy
Minister for Communities (Johann Lamont): Key public bodies including the Executive, local
authorities, health boards and the police have a specific duty under
race relations legislation to ensure access to the information and
services that they provide, and must set out their arrangements for
compliance in their race equality schemes. Updated race equality schemes
were published last month. We have written to local authorities and
other public bodies asking them to develop or improve language plans for
the communities that they serve. We are also working to double the
number of British Sign Language interpreters in Scotland to ensure that
BSL users can access public services. We shall in the new year publish
research into provision and quality of translation, interpreting and
communication support services across Scotland. That research will help
development of policy in that area.

Marlyn Glen:
I thank the minister for that answer,
particularly the detail on British Sign Language. The United Kingdom
register of public service interpreters lists only 17 translators in
Scotland. Can the minister say how many public authorities have access
to services such as Language Line, which is a commercial telephone
interpretation service? Given the importance of the issue, has the
Executive considered drawing up and implementing a national translation
and interpretation strategy to ensure that all public authorities have
access to good-quality translation services?

Johann Lamont:
The research that will be published early
in the new year, which will consider how the support service is
delivered throughout Scotland, will inform what we do next. We have
emphasised to local authorities and public bodies their
responsibility—they must have plans that identify local needs. Although
we may later consider the gaps and how the Scottish Executive can
provide support, the emphasis at this stage must be on local authorities
and local bodies understanding local needs and taking responsibility for
delivering services. However, I am keen to keep the issue under review
and I am happy to give Marlyn Glen the specific information that she
seeks about the quality of the service, and to explore further how
imaginative and creative ways of addressing
the issue can be taken on.

Forth Road Bridge Tolls

Marlyn Glen
(North East Scotland) (Lab): Although I
accept the difficulties of congestion in Edinburgh and I hear what the
minister is saying about consultation opportunities, I urge him to take
into consideration the impact of the proposals for the Forth road bridge
on Dundee and the surrounding areas in the north-east.

Tavish Scott:
I accept Marlyn Glen's observations about
the potential impact of those proposals and I am sure that she and many
others will make representations on those matters, both in relation to
ministers' decision-making responsibilities and in the ongoing
consultation that I mentioned earlier.

Robert Brown:
The
Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on
work-life balance issues, including the recently introduced Work and
Families Bill which will benefit working parents in Scotland.

Colin Boyd, QC:
Since the
introduction of the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, Procurators
Fiscal have commenced court proceedings in respect of 92 charges under
that Act.

Note : This information
has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s
Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database
used to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal
by the police and other reporting agencies. The database is charge-based.
The figure quoted therefore relates to the number of charges rather than
the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave
rise to such charges.

Residential Care
1 November 2005

Marlyn Glen (North
East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the
latest available information is on the average weekly cost of the
provision of residential care for a child.

Robert Brown:
Average weekly costs of secure and non-secure residential care for a child
need to be considered separately. The latest available information is as
follows:

The average weekly cost of
non-secure residential care for a child was £1,647 in the 2003-04
financial year.
The average weekly cost of secure residential care for a child was £3,458
in the 2004-05 financial year.

Emergency Services (Recruitment)
29 September 2005

Marlyn Glen (North
East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps
can be taken to encourage more female and ethnic minority recruitment to
the fire and police emergency services.

The Deputy Minister
for Justice (Hugh Henry): The fire and rescue services have
introduced multi-tier entry and accelerated promotion to attract a more
diverse range of applicants. Although there is a long way to go, the
number of female firefighters has tripled in the past 10 years. In the
police service, the percentage of women increased from 11 per cent in 1995
to more than 21 per cent in 2005 and the percentage of officers from
ethnic minorities increased from 0.3 per cent in 1996 to 1.2 per cent in
2004. We are providing direct financial assistance to SEMPERscotland, an
ethnic minority support organisation that is working to improve
recruitment, retention and community perceptions.

Marlyn Glen:
Will the minister join me in welcoming the recommendations of an
independent review into planning and race relations in Scotland? I urge
that its recommendations be examined with a view to their being
implemented throughout the uniformed services and ask whether that has
been considered. Further, does the minister agree that the spotlight
should then move on to retention, which he mentioned, and promotion
opportunities for female and ethnic minority staff?

Hugh Henry:
Any evidence that helps to advance the argument will be carefully
examined. Marlyn Glen is right to mention retention: it is no success
simply to recruit people in and then to lose them quickly. We want to
ensure that when people join the uniformed services they are made welcome
and that proper career development is provided and discussed. I want to
see far more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds advancing
through the ranks of the police service and the fire service.

Dance 15
September 2005

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive
what progress has been made in promoting dance in Scotland

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Arts Council established a dance
department in 2000.

The key aim of its
strategy for dance is to encourage an environment that supports a wide
range of high-quality dance activity with opportunities to create,
perform, participate in and enjoy dance.

The Scottish Arts
Council currently funds eight dance companies and organisations across
Scotland.

Marlyn Glen: Does the minister agree that Dundee's contribution to
the highly acclaimed performance of the Scottish Dance Theatre at the
recent Edinburgh Festival is to be celebrated, particularly given the
co-operation between Dundee College, the Scottish school of contemporary
dance and the Dundee Rep?

Will she join me in
praising Dundee's success as the centre of dance in Scotland?

Patricia Ferguson: I certainly share Marlyn Glen's sentiments.

The Space in Dundee,
which is the home of the Scottish school of contemporary dance, is a
facility that all MSPs should be very proud of, not least members who
happen to represent the area.

It is worth noting
that as little as 10 years ago there were no purpose-built buildings for
dance in Scotland and we now have both Dance Base and The Space in Dundee
as well as the other dance agencies throughout the country.

Nicol
Stephen:
Scottish
Development International (SDI) and its partners, including Scottish
Enterprise Tayside, target global decision makers in key industries to
highlight business opportunities and secure investment into Scotland. This
includes traditional foreign direct investment (FDI) projects but also
research investment and new technology partnerships. The high
international regard for this work can be seen in the fact that in October
2004 the Financial Times’ FDI Magazine awarded Dundee the title of
‘European Cities of the Future – Best FDI Promotion Strategy’.

The Scottish Executive
and its agencies continue to work to attract the kind of inward investment
to Dundee which has helped make it an internationally recognised location
for the life sciences and creative industries, attracting companies such
as US-owned drug discovery firm Upstate and medical imaging specialists
Kestrel 3D. Dundee is also home to longstanding inward investors such as
NCR which continues to make high-value investments in the area assisted by
public sector support.

Manufacturing
29 August 2005

Marlyn Glen (North
East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish
Executive what measures it is taking to increase the number of
manufacturing jobs in Dundee.

Nicol Stephen:
The
Scottish Executive operates a range of measures to assist manufacturing
throughout Scotland. The Executive’s strategy, Smart Successful Scotland,
is delivered through Local Enterprise Companies including Scottish
Enterprise Tayside in Dundee which works closely in conjunction with the
Business Gateway and also its partners in the Dundee Community Planning
Partnership. Together they offer manufacturers business support services
which are available to all types and sizes of business and Scottish
Enterprise Tayside also provides intensive support to key companies with
the best potential for sustainable growth.

The Executive provides
direct financial support for investment projects through Regional
Selective Assistance which, in the past two years, has provided 11
companies in Dundee over £2.7m of grant aid creating 182 jobs and securing
the employment of 206. Other direct Executive grant schemes such as Smart
and Spur, which encourage product and process innovation, have delivered
£1.68m to 14 Dundee companies.

The Scottish
Manufacturing Advisory Service - designed specifically to improve
productivity in manufacturing industry will be introduced later this year.

Hugh Henry:
SmartWater
is a property marking solution which has been privately developed for
commercial purposes and is aimed primarily at organisations and companies
with an interest in the prevention and detection of crime. I understand
that Aberdeen City Council piloted the technology in several streets at
the start of the year, the first authority in Scotland to do so. Due to
the reduction in housebreaking in these areas, the Council is now funding
a roll-out of the scheme across the city with the assistance of
neighbourhood and community wardens, many of whom are funded by the
Executive. We therefore have a clear interest in the scheme and I have
asked my officials to monitor and evaluate progress.

Police 18
August 2005

Marlyn Glen (North
East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support
it is giving the police in the use of information technology to improve
the efficiency of the police service.

Cathy Jamieson:
The Scottish Executive provided £3 million funding to the
Scottish Police Information Strategy in 2005-06 to lead and drive the
achievement of integrated IT systems for Scottish policing. When new
applications and systems are being developed a high priority is attached
to realising business benefits and efficiencies.

Organ Donation 12
August 2005

Marlyn Glen (North East
Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what budget has been
granted for publicising organ donation in each of the last two years.

Mr Tom McCabe: The
advertising spend for the Organ Donation campaign for 2003-2004 was
£143,858.00 and for 2004-2005 was £121,012.00.

Road
Safety 15 July 2005

Marlyn Glen (North
East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it
is taking to implement the recommendations of Parental Attitudes to
Road Safety Education.

Tavish Scott:
The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety
Campaign for the development of key road safety education initiatives and
publicity messages. Progress on implementing the recommendations in
Parental Attitudes to Road Safety Education has been delayed due to
vacancies, which have now been filled, in two key posts in the campaign.

In the current financial year,
the campaign will review the research and begin preparatory work on taking
the recommendations forward.

Hugh Henry:
The most
recent information that we have on Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) is
for 2003-04. This shows that the largest number of ASBOs were against
those over 25 years of age. This age group accounted for 63% of ASBO
applications and 59% of ASBOs granted. People aged 16-18 years account
for 13% of applications and 16% of ASBOs granted. However, as a proportion
of the population, ASBO applications and orders granted are highest within
the 16-18 year old age band.

Mr
Andy Kerr: Under
the new clean hospitals campaign announced in March 2005, funding of
£1.05 million was allocated to NHS Boards for the provision of
alcohol-based handrubs at every frontline bed. NHS Boards have confirmed
that these measures are in place. Allocations to individual NHS Boards
were based the Arbuthnott formula as follows:

Health Board

Allocation (£000)

2004-2005

Allocation (£000)

2005-2006

Argyll and Clyde

13

78

Ayrshire and Arran

12

70

Borders

3

20

Dumfries and
Galloway

5

29

Fife

10

61

Forth Valley

8

47

Grampian

13

81

Greater Glasgow

28

165

Highland

7

42

Lanarkshire

16

97

Lothian

20

121

Orkney

1

4

Shetland

1

4

Tayside

12

72

Western Isles

1

7

G8 and the
role of Scottish Universities 30 June 2005

Marlyn Glen (North
East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it
envisages for Scottish universities in addressing some of the issues to be
discussed at the G8 summit, particularly in relation to Africa.
The Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (Allan Wilson):
Scottish universities have an important role to play in this area, for
example in the development of education programmes and through their
expertise in research and innovation.

The universities of
Glasgow and Abertay Dundee are currently hosting academic conferences that
are considering G8 issues, and many Scottish universities are already
active in Africa.

Concept notes seeking
support from the Scottish Executive's international development fund
include proposals from several Scottish universities for work in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Marlyn Glen: I invite the minister to join me in congratulating in
particular the University of Dundee on its work in Africa on tropical
disease research, health care education and training and expertise in the
critical fields of energy, mineral and water law.

Mercy scholarships for
Rwandan women are just one example of the university's work.

Can the minister
assure me that recognition and support will be given to those important
initiatives, which have now been extended to a number of Scottish
education institutions?
Allan Wilson: Marlyn Glen is right to draw the Parliament's attention
to the very good work that Scotland's universities are doing on
development in Africa, preceding the G8 summit and undoubtedly succeeding
it.

We are considering
proposals for international development funding that include projects to
deliver direct assistance overseas, applications for administrative
resources based here in Scotland and funding for activities aimed at
exchanging knowledge or raising awareness.

We will consider
applications for projects based in or linked to sub-Saharan Africa and
areas that were affected by the Asian tsunami.

Additional weight will
be given to projects that are based wholly or partly in Malawi, which we
wish to prioritise.

Euan
Robson:
Within
the early years and childcare workforce, 2% of staff, 650 workers, are
male. This information is available publicly from the Scottish Executive
National Statistics Publication – Pre-school and Childcare Workforce
Statistics 2004 and is available on the Scottish Executive Web site

Euan Robson: Men
working in early years and childcare ensures that children have role
models of both sexes.

We want to have a
workforce that better reflects the society we live in and to move away
from the traditional image of early years and childcare as women’s work.
The National Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce is
examining these issues. I look forward to receiving their report later
this year.

The
Scottish Executive currently provides funding support to Men in Childcare,
a voluntary organisation, which recruits men into childcare training. This
work began in Edinburgh and is now expanding to other areas of the
country.

Since 1999 the Scottish Executive has
funded a national Anti-Bullying Network, and since 1998 it has provided
funding to support the ChildLine Bullying Helpline. Scottish Executive
funding for anti-bullying activity for 2004-2005 and projected funding in
2005-2006 are as follows:

In 2004 the Scottish Executive commissioned a national
needs assessment exercise which gained the views of professionals, pupils
and parents on their need for anti-bullying activity. The evidence has
been used to develop a new specification for a national anti-bullying
programme that will take a strong a pro-active role in developing the role
of professionals in all children’s services in preventing bullying and
responding effectively when it occurs.

Nicol
Stephen:
The
Scottish Executive has commissioned research to assess the implications of
e-working and other information and communication technologies (ICT) on
travel behaviour and traffic reduction in Scotland. This research is
reaching its final stages and we will consider its findings in due course.

Digital Technology
31 May 2005

Marlyn Glen
(North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the
Scottish Executive what information it has on the number and percentage of
households with a domestic connection to the internet.

Tavish Scott:
This information is available from the
Scottish Household Survey website for which a link is provided
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/housing/shsar03-17.asp. The
results for 2003 are currently available and a copy has been placed in the
Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33446). The survey results for
2004 will be published in August 2005.

Marlyn Glen
(North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the
Scottish Executive what information it has on the number and percentage of
households with a domestic connection to the internet, broken down by (a)
local authority area and (b) electoral region.

Tavish Scott:
The Scottish Household survey have provided
information on domestic connection to the internet broken down by
electoral region and this is presented in the following table. Information
on domestic connection to the internet broken down by local authority is
available from the same source identified in my answer to S2W-16601
answered on 31 May 2005.

Marlyn Glen
(North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the
Scottish Executive what information it has on the percentage of households
with a domestic connection to the internet, broken down by socio-economic
group.

Tavish Scott:
This information, provided from the
Scottish Household Survey, is contained in the following table.

By National Statistics
Socio-Economic Classification of Highest Income Householder

Percentage with Access

Sample Size

Higher managerial and
professional occupations

81

1,005

Lower managerial and
professional occupations

70

2,858

Intermediate occupations

56

791

Small employers and sole
traders

57

723

Lower supervisory and
technical occupations

48

1,250

Semi-routine occupations

36

1,107

Routine occupations

34

1,199

Marlyn Glen
(North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the
Scottish Executive what initiatives it is supporting to increase access to
home computers and internet usage and what the extent has been of the
take-up to date.

Tavish Scott:
The Scottish Executive has been working to
widen home access to computers through the development of a Home Computer
Initiative for all eligible employees in the Scottish public sector. This
includes employees of the Scottish Executive, local authorities, health
boards, non-departmental public bodies, agencies and other public sector
organisations.

This scheme will make home
computers available at a reduced cost and enable users to take up internet
access. The scheme, which offers the opportunity to provide lower cost
computers without any cost to the employer as a result of a tax exemption,
is expected to launch in August 2005. The Scottish Executive encourages
employers to consider offering such a scheme to their employees.

Sportswomen (Equality)
12 May 2005

Marlyn Glen (North East
Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are taken
to guarantee that sportswomen receive funding, provision of sports
facilities and respect equal to their male counterparts.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport (Patricia Ferguson):
The Executive is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all
people in Scotland.

The announcement earlier this week of an award of £138,000 to the Scottish
Football Association to help the continued growth of women's and girls'
football is a clear demonstration of that commitment.

In addition, the recent appointment of a women, girls and sport officer by
sportscotland will lead to a comprehensive programme of positive action to
encourage participation, leadership, performance and excellence among
women and girls.

Marlyn Glen: Will the minister join me in wishing the Scottish
women's international football team every success in its game against
Finland on 20 May?

Women's football is one of the
fastest-growing sports in the world.

Also, will the minister emphasise the importance of the link between
sport, exercise, diet and health and outline any further plans to promote
female participation in sport?

Patricia Ferguson: Marlyn Glen is right to highlight women's and
girls' football as one of the growing areas of sport in Scotland and the
United Kingdom.

The Parliament will want to join me in encouraging our women's team and
wishing it well for its game against Finland.

The national physical activity task force's report highlighted the fact
that teenage girls in particular are not physically active enough.

We must ensure that barriers real and perceived that deter teenage girls
from participating in sport and physical activity are removed.

That might be achieved by offering teenage girls activities that they
particularly want, such as dance, yoga or aerobics in single-sex classes.

It is hoped that the active schools programme will help to tackle that.

Housing (Dundee)
21
April 2005

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab):
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce
homelessness and increase the provision of affordable housing in Dundee.

The Minister for Communities (Malcolm
Chisholm): This financial year, the Executive will provide funding of
£10.7 million to Dundee to ensure that homelessness is prevented and tackled and
to provide affordable housing. That funding will be spent in accordance with the
agreed local housing and homelessness strategies.

Marlyn Glen: I thank the
minister for his reply. While I recognise and applaud the work of the Executive
so far, and Dundee's homelessness strategy—in particular, the 200 new affordable
homes in Stobswell, Kirkton and Whitfield—will the minister give serious
consideration to allowing pressured area status for city authorities, such as
Dundee, which are still so short of family-sized homes?

Malcolm Chisholm: Great progress
is being made in Dundee. I was pleased to see quite recently some of the new
housing to which the member referred. The sum of £10 million that I announced is
a 44 per cent increase on the allocation at the start of the previous financial
year. More people will have rights under our progressive homelessness
legislation, but Dundee is doing well on housing. For example, it is managing to
house a large number of people who do not have priority as being homeless.
Obviously, consideration needs to be given to the quality standard and to the
strategy that Dundee wants to have in place for 2015. I know that there are
still issues to be resolved in Dundee, but overall good progress is being made
there.

Antisocial Behaviour Act

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish
Executive what progress it is making to ensure that individuals and communities
know about their rights and responsibilities under the Antisocial Behaviour etc.
(Scotland) Act 2004

Hugh
Henry:

The
Executive is undertaking a wide range of activities to ensure that everyone in
Scotland knows the law will be on their side if they stand up to antisocial
behaviour, and that those who break the law know the consequences if they refuse
to change their ways.

Last week
the First Minister launched a public information campaign to raise awareness of
the measures in the new Act. The public information campaign includes local
radio, local press and bus advertising. We will also be distributing a leaflet
to every household in Scotland that will carry the same message, as well as
telling people where they can go locally if they need help.

Tay Road Bridge

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)
(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had
with the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board regarding the consideration of options for
relocating the toll-collecting stations to the Fife end of the road bridge to
help reduce the level of congestion and pollution in the Dundee city centre
area.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (24 January 2005): We hold regular discussions
with Tay Road Bridge Joint Board on a range of issues, and are aware that the
board is considering the possible relocation of the tolling booths as part of a
range of measures to improve toll collection and reduce congestion at the
bridge. Decisions on such a move are a matter for the joint board.

Prison visiting committees

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab):
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the role of prison-visiting
committees.

Cathy Jamieson: I met with representatives
of the Association of Visiting Committees on 6 December last year and advised
them of my intention to hold a review of the role of Prison Visiting Committees.

Diabetes

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual
cost to the NHS is of treating people with type 2 diabetes.

Holding reply by Mr Andy Kerr (1 December 2004): I shall reply to the
member as soon as possible.

Answered by Mr Andy Kerr (7 December 2004): This information is not held
centrally.

The Scottish Diabetes Framework (April 2002)
included an estimate that diabetes (of all types) accounts for about 5% of NHS
costs. It is not possible at present to provide a more detailed estimate of the
cost of diabetes, nor is it possible to calculate the proportions spent on the
various forms of diabetes. The Scottish Diabetes Survey 2003 estimated that over
160,000 people in Scotland have been diagnosed with diabetes, 85-90% of whom
have type 2 diabetes. However, type 2 diabetes will account for a lower share of
the total costs. This is because type 1 diabetes begins at an earlier age
(usually 10 to 12), is more difficult to control, and carries a much higher risk
of complications (partly because of duration).

Bridges

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any
assessment of the economic, social and environmental impact of a toll-free Tay
Road Bridge.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (26 November 2004): As part of the current
Tolled Bridges Review a range of tolling options was looked at for each of the
tolled bridges in Scotland including for the Tay Road Bridge both increasing and
removing the tolls. The outcome of the first phase of the review will be
published in due course.

European Languages

S2W-11853 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has from
census records, or other sources, on the number of people working in Scotland
who are fluent in a European language, broken down by (a) language and (b) job
category.

Answered by Tavish Scott (12 November 2004): This information is neither
available from census records, nor from any other source held by the Scottish
Executive.

Sport

S2W-11409 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to
promote the growth of girls’ and women’s football.

Answered by Ms Patricia Ferguson (10 November 2004): The Executive is
committed to increasing opportunities for girls and women to take part in sport
generally. Since 1997-98, sportscotland has invested in excess of £1
million of Exchequer and Lottery funding, including £400,000 towards supporting
the Scottish Women’s Football Association’s current four-year development plan.
Implementation of the Action Plan for Youth Football will deliver a step change
in the development of women’s and girls’ football, which will also benefit from
the investment in Active Schools.

Justice

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases involving driving without
insurance proceeded in the (a) Arbroath, (b) Dundee and (c) Stonehaven
procurator fiscal office in each of the last three years.

Answered by Colin Boyd QC (9 November 2004): The numbers of charges for
driving without insurance contrary to section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988
reported to the Procurators Fiscal at Arbroath, Dundee and Stonehaven in the
last three financial years and which resulted in criminal proceedings being
instructed are shown in the following table.

Procurator Fiscal’s Office

Financial Year 2001-02

Financial Year 2002-03

Financial Year 2003-04

Arbroath

325

334

401

Dundee

1,014

1,291

1,548

Stonehaven

148

158

151

Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils sat modern languages at
(a) standard grade and (b) higher level in each year since 1999, broken down by
subject and expressed as a percentage of the year group.

Answered by Peter Peacock (9 November 2004): A document has been lodged
with the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34260) showing the number of
pupils sitting Modern Language courses at the various National Qualification
levels between 1999 and 2004. The information covers pupils from S4 to S6 at all
publicly funded secondary schools and, as requested, has been broken down by
subject and expressed as a percentage of the year group.

Cancer

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reducing
deaths from cancer.

Answered by Mr Andy Kerr (4 November 2004): Since 1995 there has been a
fall of 13.6% in cancer mortality among people aged under 75. This means we are
on track to meet our target of a 20% reduction by 2010.

Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many modern languages teachers there
have been in secondary schools in each year since 1999, broken down by subject.

Answered by Peter Peacock (28 October 2004): The available information on
how many modern languages teachers there have been in secondary schools on
specific years, broken down by subject, can be obtained from the Teacher Census
Results 2003 and can be accessed using the following hyperlink:

Rail Network

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where responsibility will lie for
ensuring the continuation of cross-border rail services on cross-country and
east coast mainline routes when Transport Scotland is established.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (1 October 2004): Lead responsibility for
setting the specification for cross-border rail franchises will lie with the UK
Government. Scottish ministers will continue to be able to offer advice to the
UK Government on these services.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with trade
unions representing workers based in Scotland who are employed on cross-country
rail services.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (1 October 2004): The Strategic Rail Authority
are responsible for the cross-country rail franchise. The Scottish Executive has
not had any discussions with trade unions representing workers based in
Scotland.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)
(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been
made to the Strategic Rail Authority regarding the future of cross-country rail
services in Scotland.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (1 October 2004): The Scottish Executive is in
regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the
future of cross-country rail services in Scotland.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made to
the Department for Transport regarding the future of the cross-country rail
franchise.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (1 October 2004): The Strategic Rail Authority
is responsible for the cross-country rail franchise. The Scottish Executive is
in regular discussion with the UK Government on a wide range of issues.

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)
(Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when further guidance for
inclusion in the child witness support pack will be issued.

Answered by Hugh Henry (18 May 2004):Guidance on Child Witness Court
Familiarisation Visits is being issued today. The guidance sets out
standards of best practice for all those who carry out pre-trial visits with the
aim of helping to reduce the anxiety and stress experienced by children when
attending court. It is the outcome of wide consultation and has the support of
major justice agencies and children’s groups. The guidance is the third document
in a series on child witness support and follows guidance on Interviewing Child
Witnesses and Questioning Children in Court.

Copies have been placed in the Parliament’s
Reference Centre (Bib. number 32531).

Peter
Peacock:
The available
information on how many modern languages teachers there have been in secondary
schools on specific years, broken down by subject, can be obtained from the
Teacher Census Results 2003 (link)

Cancer

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab):
To ask the Scottish Executive what the number and rates of deaths from cancer
have been in (a) Dundee, (b) Tayside and (c) Scotland in each year since 1999,
expressed also as an index with 1999 as the base year.

Hugh Henry: The information
requested is given in the following table:

Ross Finnie: We are aware of two nappy
laundering services in Scotland. The Scottish Nappy Company works with East
Renfrewshire Council and Edinburgh City Council and Cotton Bottoms offer a nappy
laundering service in north-east Scotland. In addition, Aberdeen City Council
and Aberdeen Forward work with the Hippins Network which offers a nappy lending
service allowing parents to try different styles before buying. They also
operate a scheme under which parents who use real nappies can claim up to £30
towards the cost of kitting out their child.

More
generally, thirteen local authorities at present support work carried out by the
Scottish Nappy Network to promote real nappies in Scotland. We are also aware
of community sector projects, such as one run by Lothian and Edinburgh
Environmental Partnership.

We have
recently provided resources to the Waste and Resources Action Programme for work
on waste minimisation, including work on real nappies.

Police

S2W-6555 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive what resources it is committing to the provision of
DNA testing.

Answered by Cathy Jamieson (27 February 2004): We have recently made an
additional £1 million available to the Scottish Police Service to support the
development of DNA in the investigation of crime. Around £800,000 will be used
by forces to purchase eight genetic analysers which are used in the process of
developing DNA profiles obtained from samples taken both at the point of arrest
and from crime scenes. The remaining money will be allocated to increasing DNA
sampling levels across Scotland. Together, these measures will give the Scottish
Police Service equipment that is as up to date as any in the world and will, in
turn, assist in solving more crimes.

S2W-5979 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time and part-time police officers
there are in the Scottish Police Service and whether it has any plans to publish
police officer numbers on a whole time equivalent basis.

Answered by Cathy Jamieson (5 February 2004): Figures showing full-time,
part time and whole time equivalent police officer numbers over the last three
years are given in the following table. The Executive intends in future normally
to give police officer numbers on a whole time equivalent basis.

Road Accidents

S2W-5605 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been killed or seriously
injured in road accidents in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in each of the last five
years.

Holding reply by Nicol Stephen (2 February 2004): I shall reply to the
member as soon as possible.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (10 March 2004): The information requested is
given on page 140 of Road Accidents Scotland 2002, published by the
Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s
Reference Centre (Bib number 30447). Information for 2003 is not yet available
centrally.

S2W-5604 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive how many adults have been killed or seriously injured
in road accidents in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in each of the last five years.

Holding reply by Nicol Stephen (2 February 2004): I shall reply to the
member as soon as possible.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (10 March 2004): The information requested can
be obtained from the figures on page 140 of Road Accidents Scotland 2002,
published by the Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in
the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30447). Information for 2003 is
not yet available centrally.

S2W-5603 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive how many children were killed or seriously injured in
road accidents in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in (i) 1994, (ii) 1995, (iii) 1996,
(iv) 1997 and (v) 1998.

Holding reply by Nicol Stephen (2 February 2004): I shall reply to the
member as soon as possible.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (10 March 2004): The information requested is
given on page 140 of Road Accidents Scotland 2002, published by the
Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s
Reference Centre (Bib. number 30447).

Holding reply by Nicol Stephen (2 February 2004): I shall reply to the
member as soon as possible.

Answered by Nicol Stephen (10 March 2004): The information requested can
be obtained from the figures on page 140 of Road Accidents Scotland 2002,
published by the Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in
the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30447).

Health

S2W-5400 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on levels of obesity amongst
12-year-olds, broken down by NHS board area.

Answered by Mr Tom McCabe (20 January 2004): Information for all NHS
boards in Scotland is not currently available. For those areas where data is
available, the following table shows the levels of obesity amongst children who
have received a primary 7 school review (aged between 11 and 12 years
approximately).

High BMI Distribution: Children Receiving a Primary 7 Review: School Year
2001-02

Total Number

Obese (>95th centile) No.

%

Total

12,194

2,208

18.1

Borders

1,279

217

17.0

Fife

4,020

742

18.5

Lanarkshire

6,895

1,249

18.1

Source: CHSP-S ISD Scotland.

Estimated age at review 11-12 years.

Education

S2W-5399 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive how many places have been created under the Out of
School Hours Learning Programme since its inception in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus.

Answered by Peter Peacock (20 January 2004): Information is not held
centrally on the number of learning opportunities provided by education
authorities and schools under the Scottish Executive’s Study Support Programme
or through the New Opportunities Fund.

Equal Pay

S2O-1531 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive what action it is promoting to close the pay gap
between men and women.

Answered by Ms Margaret Curran (11 March 2004): The Scottish Executive is
working with the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Scottish Trade Union
Congress and other partners in the Close the Gap campaign to raise
awareness about the pay gap between women and men in Scotland.

And, as an employer, we are leading by example. The Executive completed a
gender equal pay review in April 2003 and will continue to monitor its pay and
reward system to ensure that it is free from discrimination.

Justice

S2O-1513 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive what lessons were learned from the recent visit by
the Minister for Justice to courts in New York.

Answered by Cathy Jamieson (11 March 2004): During my recent visit to New
York, I met with representatives of the police, courts and community justice
agencies. There are potentially a number of lessons to be learned, including the
speed of the process, “restorative” aspects of community service, and the range
of services available to address the problems of offending.

Child Safety

S2O-1026 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive what advice is given to education authorities on the
advantages of introducing "walking buses" schemes in the interests of safety of
schoolchildren and what information it has on the use of such schemes by
individual education authorities.

Answered by Mr Jim Wallace (8 January 2004): The Executive published
guidance on how to run safer routes to school in 1999. A “walking bus” scheme
led by a council education department was included in the guidance as an
illustration of the type of project that might be undertaken. Advice on how to
set up and run a “walking bus” is available through a number of websites set up
by individual local authorities. In addition, Sustrans, the sustainable
transport charity provides much guidance through its website on safe routes to
school schemes including walking buses.

It is for each local authority to decide how best to implement safer routes
to school initiatives within its area. The Executive does not monitor individual
local schemes centrally.

Crime

S2O-314 - Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland)(Lab): To
ask the Scottish Executive what new measures it plans to introduce to combat the
fear of crime and what best practices it recommends are followed by local
agencies in tackling this issue.

Answered by Cathy Jamieson (4 September 2003):A Partnership for a
Better Scotland: Partnership Agreement sets out our commitments to tackle
crime and the fear of crime to support stronger, safer communities. We have
encouraged all 32 local authorities to establish Community Safety Partnerships
to identify and address local community safety priorities, including the fear of
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